AP
A portrait representing Nelson Mandela is installed on the windows of a building in Cape Towns central business district. Photo: AP
Cape Town – President Jacob Zuma has gone on the offensive against the DA, accusing the official opposition of disrespect, “superficial” use of Nelson Mandela’s name, and deliberately creating the impression that South Africa is a failing country.
Zuma lashed the opposition and other detractors for “creating hysteria” about the country’s economy, and blaming him for the rand’s sudden plunge after his press conference on the economy last month.
He said the DA portrayed Mandela “as if he was born in 1994”, perhaps because it believed the former statesman was a “smooth African”.
Zuma was addressing the National Assembly on Thursday in response to the Presidency’s budget vote debate, which took place on Wednesday.
While he took aim at all opposition parties, Zuma dedicated the greater part of his address to dressing down the DA.
He accused the party of “shouting”, instead of constructively engaging on serious policy matters.
Zuma had come under severe criticism from the DA and opposition parties like Cope, which questioned his leadership and accused him of running down the country.
Zuma said he hoped that the DA had noted the comments made by Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane and Minority Front MP Rohith Bhoola on the need to be “honest and genuine” in appreciating Mandela.
“We raised the point last year that people should not create their own superficial image of Madiba. They must love Madiba the volunteer-in-chief of the Defiance Campaign, Madiba the Umkhonto we Sizwe commander-in-chief, Madiba the revolutionary, Madiba the long-serving prisoner,” said Zuma.
“We must not only focus on Madiba the first president of a democratic South Africa, who implemented ANC policies of reconciliation and transformation.
“His rich legacy and history must not be distorted,” said Zuma.
He added that Mandela was singled out because he was seen as a “smooth African”.
“The opposition close their eyes to reality, no respect, nothing. I would imagine we need all of us to accept reality. Even if we differ, let us differ with respect.”
During the debate, DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko had said: “The rand’s fall showed that the markets have reached the same conclusion that the rest of South Africa reached some time ago: they have no confidence in the president of the republic.”
Zuma dismissed this, saying that the markets “were very volatile” on the day he held his media briefing.
Political Bureau
